Cuccos
by Balthbunansa
Summary: Link and his fascination of playing with cuccos. Update: A seasonal adventure awaits!
1. Lon Lon Ranch

**Disclaimer: I don't own or claim to own any of the characters.**

* * *

Link was always fond cuccos. Whenever he went to Lon Lon Ranch, the majority of time was spent either with his redheaded friend Malon and Epona or chasing cuccos.

On this particular day, Link felt the desire to mess around with the cuccos. The young child had a fascination with the chickens when he came to the ranch. Walking onto horse track, the young boy picked up one of the chickens and began to run around. Malon giggled as she watched the blonde make a fool of himself. She always had wondered where his desire to play with the cuccos came from.

He was so cute sometimes, she thought. She always needed to keep an eye on him however. Malon knew he liked to torture her poor cuccos sometimes. Today seemed no different. She just leaned against the barn and watched him.

Link knew his redheaded friend was always watching him. He was still playful when he messed around with the cuccos though. Though a dark side of him did enjoy being a little cruel to them.

Drawing his kokiri sword, the young boy began to poke curiously at the small bird. As he poked, the cucco trotted away. He was still dying to continue poking the bird however. Chasing the bird, Link poked at it again with his blade. The cucco squawked and scooted away again.

By now Malon was rolling her eyes. "Leave the cuccos alone Link!" She said as she walked closer. Link didn't pay any attention to his friend as he continued to focus on the cucco. Poking at it again, the cucco crowed as Link's blade gently stabbed against its flesh.

Cuccos in the general area began to go berserk. As they began to fly toward Link, he began to run. He had never angered the birds like this before. Link grabbed his cap as he was being attacked. Thankfully he was nearing the barn. After a few more steps, he was opening the door and standing next to Malon.

"I told you to stop Link!" Looking at her shocked, the young boy nodded. He was covered in white feathers. "You goofy fairy boy." She giggled as she brushed some feathers off of him "I hope you learned your lesson. You don't mess with cuccos." Link smiled warmly as he nodded.

After some time had passed, Link decided to look outside. As he looked outside, the blonde had his head pecked at by one of the crazed cuccos. Quickly, he closed the door and looked at her wide-eyed. "Well it seems like we're stuck in here." Malon sighed "Why don't you play that song Epona loves while we wait for the cuccos to calm down." Link nodded and put his fairy ocarina to his lips and began to play the song that his favorite horse loved. As he played, the redhead began to hum along with him.


	2. Kakariko Village

**Author Notes: Wow, I'd like to thank everyone that has read this fanfiction. Its been much more popular than I thought. So here is more of Link having fun with cuccos.**

* * *

After a few hours of being in the stables with Malon, Link again peeked his head outside the door. The cuccos had finally calmed down from their berserk state. Looking back at a sleeping Malon, the young boy smiled and wrapped a blanket around her.

Opening the door, the young boy stepped into a midnight version of Lon Lon Ranch. He needed to be quiet not to wake anyone on the ranch. As he walked towards the exit, he couldn't help but smile at how quiet the ranch was. It was so peaceful, but he had to go.

Hyrule field was not as peaceful however. As the blonde walked out onto the field, miniature stalfos began to pop out from the ground. Running, Link tried his best to avoid the small creatures as he made his way toward Kakariko.

It wasn't long before sunrise however. As the sun began to rise, the skeletons burrowed back into the ground. Link smiled as he watched the sunrise, it was just in time as he continued his run across the massive plain.

After ten minutes had passed, Link was walking up the two staircases and into the village. Link grinned as he saw cuccos running around the village. He had a job to do. Walking to the cucco lady, he smiled as he looked up at her. "Little boy, can you collect the cuccos again? I'll give you something for your trouble." She said as she looked at the eager boy.

Nodding, Link saw a slight smile on her lips before she spoke. "Thank you." The blonde nodded as he began to look for the cuccos. There was one only a few steps away from the pen. Running too it, Link grinned and picked it up and ran back to the pen. Tossing it in, the cucco squawked before running around the pen. "That's one. There are six left." She commented cheerfully.

Link knew where another one was. There was one right by the entrance to the village. Jogging to it, the young boy scooped it into his arms. The bird clucked and began to flap its wings. By the time he was back to the pen, he was covered in white feathers. Tossing it in, Link nodded to the cucco lady and ran to get another.

The third was by the cursed skulltula house. Climbing over the oddly placed railing, Link dove at the cucco as it tried to scoot away. Grabbing it by the leg, Link was able to get up and carry the bird to the pen and toss it in.

Another of the cuccos was walking around by Impa's home. This one wasn't hard to scoop up. It did flap its wings violently as Link was running back towards the pen. As he was about to jump down to the lower level, he felt himself airborne. His eyes widened as he flew through the air with the frightened bird.

Placing the cucco into the pen, Link counted four. He could see one up on the path leading to Death Mountain and another by the giant windmill. The third was nowhere to be seen however. The one up on the hill by the windmill would be harder to get which prompted Link to get that one first.

Climbing the tall railing that separated the potions shop and the rest of Kakariko was a challenge for the young boy. He did get over it however. Scaling the ladder, Link grinned as he looked at the small bird. He was eager to fly again now that he was used to it. Scooping it into his arms, the blonde jumped off the high hill and began a flight toward the pen. The cucco squawked the whole flight before Link tossed it into the pen.

Link chuckled as he ran toward the path towards Death Mountain. Brushing off tons of feathers, the blonde grabbed another cucco and began to run around with it. He was enjoying catching the cuccos. As he ran by the home at the base of the staircase, he could hear rustling in the crate against the house.

Dropping the sixth chicken off at the pen, Link made his way to the rattling crate. At first glance, the blonde thought his sword could open it. Poking the blade at it, he was surprised when nothing happened. Cocking his head to the side, he thought maybe if he rolled into it. Backing away, the young boy ran toward it and somersaulted into it.

The spooked cucco scooted away as it was freed from its cage. Link picked it up only to be pecked at by the bird. Running quickly to the pen, the boy tossed it in only to have the other birds go berserk and fly at him.

Feathers began to fly everywhere as they began to peck at Link. Covering his head, the blonde ran towards the closest building. That building was the skulltula house. As he stepped inside, Link brushed feathers from him and sat on the floor as the birds pecked at the door.


	3. Zora's River

**Author Notes: Well its been quite a while since I updated. I kept drawing blanks on what trouble to get Link into. **

* * *

A few minutes passed while Link lay barricading the door from cuccos pecking at him. Slowly the pecking and scratching at the door stopped. It seemed too fast, was it possible that the villagers had gotten them to calm down? While he wondered this he heard a voice coming from the next room in the skulltula home.

"Link, come here" The voice beckoned again.

Blinking, the young boy did as the voice said. He wondered why they would be calling him. He'd defeated all of the gold skulltulas, and the curse had been lifted. Walking into the back room Link was surprised to see that the curse had come back. Only the eldest had been turned back into a spider.

"Link, another gold skulltula has surfaced. I need you to defeat it. I'll give you a reward." The cursed man said.

The young swordsman nodded knowing where the skulltula was. He figured it was around Zora's river. Walking back toward the door, Link listened for any pecks. Peaking out the door, he noticed that the small chickens had calmed down.

Stepping out into the bright sunlight, the boy looked around to see things as they were when he'd come into the village hours earlier. The cuccos had escaped again, but Link couldn't help the cucco lady in collecting them. He had to collect his reward for defeating the last gold skulltula.

Quickly, young legs began to run along the grass as Link made his way toward Hyrule field. Thankfully, he still had plenty of time before dusk and more skull children popping up through the ground.

Soon he came to the brightly lit plain. A simple smile crossed his lips as he looked in every direction. It was still quite a sight for the young lad. A few moments passed before the boy began walking toward Zora's River.

Taking a trip to Zora's River was a rarity. Maybe it was all the octoroks or maybe it was the fact that anytime he came close to Zora's domain that pesky princess Ruto would catch his scent and want to spend time with him. All he could do was hope that Ruto would not come and see her 'fiancée'.

Walking up the small hill, Link began looking for skulltula. Spotting it high on the bluffs above him, he began to look for a way up. Sighing, the boy knew he'd have to go all the way to the entrance of Zora's domain and use a cucco to get to it. Grinning the young boy spotted his ride.

The small cucco clucked and was trotting around before it was scooped up into the arms of the young boy. Grinning, Link began to run towards the waterfall that was gushing down the cliffs ahead.

After a few minutes, the blonde hopped up a few easy steps before holding the disgruntled bird above his head. Leaping from the platform that he was standing on, Link flew through the air for a few moments before touching down. Two more, he thought as he grinned again. Jumping again, he flew over a larger distance before his feet hit the grass once more.

By now his trusty cucco was squawking. One more leap and he would be at his skulltula. Taking a deep breath, Link looked at the wide ravine he needed to cross. Backing up just a bit, the boy took a rushed breath before running forward and felt himself taking flight again. Don't look down, he said to himself. His thinking of course made him do just that. Nerves were getting to him now. He actually found himself counting the feet left he had to traverse. Ten feet… five feet… touch down, and a sigh of relief.

Setting the irritated bird down to peck at the grass, Link drew his kokiri blade. Poking curiously at the skulltula, the boy continued until it moved briefly. Tilting his head to the side, the blonde poked the spider with his razor sharp blade again. What the skulltula did next startled the boy. It actually jumped at him! Falling back, Link landed on the calmed cucco. A retaliatory peck was due, and that's exactly what Link got.

Backing away, the boy brushed himself off as he stood and looked at the spooked cucco. Another surprise happened a few moments later when Link turned his attention back to the spider. Of all the times when he didn't need trouble, trouble reared its ugly head. Ruto had just jumped on the platform and a totally concentrated Link hadn't noticed her.

"Link!" She squeaked, followed by a giggle.

Totally caught of guard, Link stumbled backwards and landed on the cucco again. Now the cucco was angry and began squawking. Feathers began to fly as the angered cucco pecked furiously at the young boy. Backing off and not knowing where the ledge was, the blonde fell off and landed in the rushing current. Floating away, he was able to look up and see Ruto with a hand over her mouth. He wasn't sure if she was giggling or actually worried.

* * *

**Author Notes: I sincerly hoped you enjoyed this latest installment to Cuccos. I've got a few ideas for upcoming updates but we'll see I may change my mind. Whenever I get to it I'll update again.**


	4. Gerudo Pass

**Author Notes: Here it is! The long awaited fourth installment of a series involving everyones favorite LoZ bird, the cucco! Sorry for the long delay, the idea was easy, putting it into words in another fun filled chapter was harder. I hope you enjoy the fruits of my oft crazy mind are entertaining to everyone.**

* * *

The fast current of Zora's River brought Link to the shore on Hyrule field rather quickly. Stumbling up along the silt, onto the grass, the young boy coughed up water he'd swallowed on his journey in the current of Zora's river.

Lying in the grass, the blonde's eyes opened, he stared up at the blue sky thinking about what had just occured. A groan left his lips as he placed a hand to his head. He must have knocked his head, but didn't remember how…

His mind was fuzzy as well. Looking in every direction the boy didn't even know where he was. All he could do was start walking and hope he'd remember something.

The vast plain seemed enormous and dangerous to Link. He had to run when a creature popped out of the ground and attacked him with massive blades. The wide eyed boy ran as fast as he could before tripping over a rock on the southwestern side of the great hyrulian plain. Looking over his shoulder, he no longer saw the hat shaped creature.

Brushing the dirt off his tunic, the young blonde, looked in the direction of a sloping dirt hill that lead towards a canyon. It looked interesting to Link, and the curious part of him wished investigate what was beyond.

What came next amazed the confused boy, the temperature started to skyrocket. Panting, Link came to a sudden halt as a female with tanned skin raised her hand.

"Halt! You have no business in the gerudo fortress!" She barked, keeping a close eye on the boy as he slowly backed away.

A frown appeared on his lips as he let himself plop onto the sand covered bridge. Cautiously, he eyed a cucco a few feet away. Scooting closer, he tilted his head to the side and slowly raised his hand wanting to pet the bird. Putting his hand, on the bird, he gave it a slight pet, before watching it scamper farther away. Curiosity again took Link, as he followed it.

Picking, the bird from its feet the boy gave it a hug. It seemed to be the only thing friendly to him since he'd awoken on the edge of Zora's river. Squeezing it a bit, more he was surprised when it squawked and pecked his hand. Releasing it, he watched it contently trot away.

Narrowing his eyes, the blonde stared down his new nemesis. His only friend had now become his enemy in a matter of seconds when it had pecked at him. Rushing the bird, he was not surprised when it squawked, its feathers flying into the air as he tried to grab it. Unsuccessful, he eyed his target on the far side of the bridge.

Rushing again, Link was able to catch the terrified bird. Dancing with it above his head, he looked at the gerudo with a beaming smile. Her response was a roll of her eyes, and pointing toward Hyrule field. She wasn't going to get rid of him that easily, or so he assumed. The cucco panicked, flapping its wings harder looking for a chance to break free of his grasp. His light form was easy to pick off the ground as the terrified bird began flying into the canyon.

Terrified, Link shut his eyes and tried to hold the talons of the bird as best he could. He could feel himself slipping however. The desert heat has made his hands moist, and slowly he could feel his small hands loosing their grip. A matter of moments was all it took before the boy was plummeting towards the rumbling river below. The decent was quick, as echoes of the boy's terror rang through the canyon walls. Finally a splash could be heard as the blonde hit the water, his destination Lake Hylia.

* * *

**Author Notes: The next installment should be around the corner. Probably a week or two, depends if I get writers block. Well I hope you enjoyed.**


	5. The Romani Chronicles: Cucco Shack

Cerulean orbs opened as the boy awoke on the shores of Lake Hylia. Rising too his feet the blonde was quickly whisked away by a giant owl. Destiny seemed to have other plans for the boy besides being a pecking post for cuccos. Slowly the waves of time took Link, transporting him between present and future. And so the legendary hero of time was born. The helm taking the young hero throughout time until the deed of saving Hyrule was complete… And so Ganondorf was defeated and the hero plunged the master sword back into the pedestal.

The air was chilly, and a filly whined as a young boy in green garb walked toward the princess who had made him the hero he would become. Slowly, she offered the ocarina that she'd offered gifted him in times of terror. Blinking the boy took the instrument, a smile gracing his features before nodding to Zelda.

Mounting Epona, the blonde nodded once more to the princess before setting off on a personal journey. One to find the fairy that had deserted him after Ganon had been defeated. The filly slowly trotted into the dark forest. Cerulean orbs gazed around, unaware that he was being watched. Moments passed quickly before the hero was forced from his stead by a pair of fairies.

Link chased the one who had stolen his ocarina. The young boy was so foolish… he didn't even know that he was walking into a trap. A deku scrub… the hero of time had become a deku scrub! Yellow orbs gazed at his new form, before running into a man whom had sold masks in Hyrule.

Three agonizing days passed as a scrub, not only could the boy not escape his new environment but in every direction he was mocked by townsfolk. Even a dog attacked him! Thankfully the days passed and the boy was returned to his human form. Unfortunately the three day cycle continued over and over…

Romani ranch… a small ranch similar to Lon Lon. Cerulean orbs gazed in every direction searching his new world. Running forward, the boy found a door… One with aE white bird painted on the front followed by several yellow chicks following. Stepping through the door, the blond found himself surrounded by yellow cucco chicklings. Picking one of the chicks up, orbs widened as he looked at one of the newborns. Smiling, Link rubbed the chick's head before setting it down.

Digging through his sack, the young boy found the mask he desired. Slowly he began to march around the enclosed area. Slowly the chicks began to follow in a line as he marched. One by one, the chicks began to grow to adulthood. Each cucco crowed toward the heavens as it reached maturity. Little did Link know but he'd left the door to the rest of the ranch open. Slowly the march reached a halt as the final chick reached its age.

As Link played the final cord, the cuccos began to disperse each heading in different directions. A wide smile crossed the feature of the cucco handler as he saw that each chick had come of age. Something he did not think would happen before the moon decimated Termina. That wide smile turned to agony as only a handful of cuccos remained in the enclosure. The rest had escaped. Blinking Link looked around before noting the door remained open.

"If you bring them all back. I'll give you a reward" The handler muttered sadly, clearly unhappy about what had just occurred.

Nodding the boy ran from the area into the majority of the ranch. Ten cuccos in all were missing, and the hero had three days to find each of them. The most likely place would be to start within the ranch. The feathered fiends couldn't have gotten far!

* * *

**Author's Notes: A major thank you to all those whom have read this fanfic. 800+ reads so far. Kudos to all those who have read. Hope this chapter was up to your standards.**


	6. Cuccos: A Holiday Tale

**Author Notes: **Well its been a bit since I updated this. Well I figured with the Holiday season approaching, I'd share my seasonal take for cuccos with everyone here. To everyone out there, I wish you the happiest of holidays regardless of denomination. Stay safe everyone and enjoy this holiday season.

Also I would like to thank each and every reader. For something that started out as something as an experiment, its become a fanfic with over 1k of reads. You all have my humble thanks.

_

* * *

_

Oh the weather outside is frightful

_But the fire is so delightful_

_Since we got no place to go_

_Let it snow let it snow let it snow_

The cycle of endless days seemed to stop suddenly, as the young hero took a break from herding the birds he had lost amongst the lands of Termina. The second day, normally rained but a new force seemed to have reared its head this day. Small pieces of white slowly fell from the heavens above. At first, the specks of coolness only coated the cobblestone walkways of Clock Town with dampness. As the town slowly grew cooler, the snow slowly began to stick to the stone as well as other surfaces of the town, leaving a thin coating of white.

Many of the villagers had never seen such an event, as Clock Town seemed to only receive rain in this portion of the year. Dozens of coloured orbs gazed toward the heavens as flakes coated their hair and the tongues of those whom wished to catch the oddity. The sight mesmerized even the blonde haired boy even though he'd seen snow in Hyrule.

The layers of flakes slowly began to build as the heavens did not relent from the assault upon the lands below. Slowly townsfolk began to shiver and move indoors as the cold brought with the flakes easily passed through the fabric of their clothing. Soon smoke began rising from white covered homes and businesses. Only the children of Clock Town remained outdoors, playing in the cool mess. The boy stayed outdoors as well, and slowly passed through the town making his way to the northern entrance.

Spotting the balloon that floated in the air, as well as the boy trying to shoot it down; Link did what he did best, cerulean orbs gazed at the balloon and planned how he would take it down. Reaching down into the growing levels of snow, the boy formed a ball before chucking it at the balloon. The frigid temperatures caused the balloon to pop on impact. Startled the boy looked around before spotting the green garbed boy and running toward him.

"Did you do that?" He questioned in awe.

The former hero simply nodded before the younger boy went in depth about the organization he was in was looking for a new member. The boy nodded again, before he was told to find each member of the group to get the secret password. Nodding again, Link was soon alone amongst the snow. Cerulean orbs slowly gazed amongst the white snow to see a distinct red hat popping out of some disturbed snow. Stepping in the direction of the hat, the crunches of his feet gave away his position as a young child quickly popped out and began to run away from the green-garbed male. Trying not to slip, the blonde did everything in his power to catch the escapee. After much slipping and sliding the first of five had been caught. Pouting the boy went to sit by the guard blocking the northern gate.

The next three were equally as difficult to catch as each were in different parts of clock town and used the slickness of the snow to their advantage by sliding away from the former hero whenever he got close. After much hassle only one group member remained, one that coincidentally had a cucco as transport. Taking a step towards the boy holding a frightened cucco, the boy jumped from the ledge toward the main square of east clock town. Widened orbs gazed down at the spectacle before seeing the boy tumble away safely before taunting the hero to follow. Taking a breath, Link jumped. As boots hit slick cobblestones, the worst happened… The blonde was headed not only for a crash course with the cucco, but the wall behind the frightened bird.

Arms waved frantically as the hero tried to regain his balance yet his slide towards a cucco pancake only continued. Biting his lower lip, Link felt himself crash into the bird only to hear a frightened squawk. Moments later, he heard the sound he was dreading as he crushed the bird against the wall: a single crow. Trying to regain his balance, he looked in numerous directions to hear more squawks and soon pecking cuccos swarmed him. Trying to scoot away, the blonde continually lost his balance as angered cuccos continued their assault. By now feathers covered the disturbed snow as if it were uniform and leaving no trace of the assault. Meanwhile the group member was rolling around in the snow in laughter at what he was witnessing.

Trying to slide from the group of disturbed birds, Link reached for the handle to the now inviting inn. Pulling the door open quickly, the blonde stepped in quickly before shutting the door quickly behind him. Breathing raggedly, wide cerulean orbs gazed at Anju who seemed shocked to see the boy covered in welts as well as feathers. Spreading his small frame across the entire door, the boy giggled nervously as the enraged cuccos tried to peck at the door.


End file.
